Falling in Love...In Five Courses
The STLCC Foundation invites you to join us for the 16th annual Falling in Love in Five Courses Gala at the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis on February 10, 2024.
Event Details
Saturday, February 10, 2024
Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis
999 North Second Street
St. Louis, MO 63102
This unique event will feature a renowned guest celebrity chef Greg Vernick who will collaborate with Executive Pastry Chef Casey Shiller, St. Louis Community College—Forest Park Two-time winner of the Food Network’s ‘Cupcake Wars’), along with students from the college’s highly acclaimed Culinary Arts program, to prepare a remarkable meal that you and your guests will truly enjoy!
All proceeds from the Falling in Love in Five Courses Gala help support St. Louis Community College students and programs.
For sponsorship and registration questions contact Kamille Pope at kpope5@stlcc.edu or 314-539-5218.
Meet the Chef
Cherry Hill, NJ native Greg Vernick could be found in the kitchen at an early age thanks to his grandfather owning a butcher shop in Philadelphia and his mother, Beth, owning a local restaurant near their hometown. Pursuing his passion for the restaurant business, Greg went on to earn a degree in hospitality management from Boston University followed by a culinary degree from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York.
Upon completion of his CIA externship with Chef Ken Oringer at Boston’s Clio, and after graduation, Greg moved to New York City to work the line for the opening of Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Perry Street. Over a five year span, Greg rose through the ranks of the Jean-Georges group as sous chef at Jean-Georges, Nougatine, and Spice Market, and eventually traveled the world as a chef trainer for restaurants in Qatar, Tokyo, Vancouver, Boston, and Park City, Utah. After years working with the Vongerichten team, Greg took his final post in New York City as chef de cuisine at Tocqueville.
In 2012, Greg returned to the Philadelphia area with his wife Julie, to open his debut restaurant, Vernick Food & Drink, in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood of the city where he serves an honest, no-fuss menu featuring his take on American cooking.
Since opening, Vernick Food & Drink has been recognized by Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, StarChefs, Philadelphia magazine, The Washington Post, and The New York Times.
In May 2017, after receiving his third nomination in the category, Greg Vernick was named the Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic by the James Beard Foundation, coinciding with the fifth anniversary of the restaurant’s opening.
Greg teamed up with Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia at Comcast Technology Center, to open Vernick Coffee Bar, a café dining space and barista bar in October of 2018.
His second restaurant with the Four Seasons, Vernick Fish, opened its doors in August of 2019 with the intention of serving his take on the favorite hallmarks of American oyster bar fare.
In the fall of 2019, Greg and his longtime team at Vernick Food & Drink opened a neighborhood wine shop and an elegant private event room called Vernick Wine just next door. Also in 2019, he and the Vernick Food & Drink team added a Wine Shop next door and began hosting private events and serving a seasonal tasting menu in the shop’s jewel box dining space.
Early in 2023, Food & Drink was recognized as a semifinalist for Outstanding Hospitality by the Beard Foundation.
STLCC Foundation Mission
The St. Louis Community College Foundation solicits private financial support to further the mission of St. Louis Community College.
About the College
STLCC is the largest higher education institution in the region and the second largest in Missouri. The college offers nearly 100 degree and certificate programs. In addition to STLCC’s traditional academic curriculum, the College continues to expand its programs for today’s knowledge – and technology-based economy.
STLCC annually serves more than 50,000 students through credit, continuing education, and workforce training programs. The College’s service area spans 718 square miles with four campuses, two satellite locations and two centers focused on workforce needs. Each location has many unique features that enable the College to meet the diverse needs of the community.
